Lord Peter Views the Body: A Collection of Mysteries

By Simon Winchester

A dozen whodunits to challenge the ingenious British aristocrat and sleuth—from “one of the greatest mystery story writers” (Los Angeles Times).

Some aristocrats spend their lives shooting, but Lord Peter Wimsey is a hunter of a different kind: a bloodhound with a nose for murder. Before he became Britain’s most famous detective, Lord Peter contented himself with solving the crimes he came across by chance. In this volume of short stories, he confronts a stolen stomach, a man with copper fingers, and a deadly adventure at Ali Baba’s cave, among other conundrums. These mysteries tax not just his intellect, but his humor, knowledge of metallurgy, and taste for fine wines. It’s not easy being a gentleman sleuth, but Lord Peter is the man for the job.
 
Lord Peter Views the Body is the 4th book in the Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, but you may enjoy the series by reading the books in any order.
 
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Dorothy L. Sayers including rare images from the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Release date: Jul 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781453258873

Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Men Who United the States, The Map That Changed the World, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best and notable lists. In 2006, Winchester was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen. He resides in western Massachusetts.

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Reviews for Lord Peter Views the Body

[helenliz_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe I've not read this before, but bits of it were completely unfamiliar, so maybe this is a first time. A series of short stories, in each of which Peter Wimsey solves a different problem - not all of them being crimes, as such. Some of them fit neatly in the short story format, others you sense that an idea is being tried out; at least one had a very familiar turn about it. Some were, frankly, a bit grim; the silver sofa, for example, put the wind up me. A varied and interesting selection.

[aneris-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lord Peter Views the Body is a lovely way to 'cleanse your palate', so to speak. I needed something that would, if not erase something that almost caused a reading slump (and not the good one either), at least save my future reading enjoyment and this witty anthology is perfect.
I was afraid it won't work because I didn't like the last book from this series (not enough of the main character; it was as if someone else wrote it).

There are twelve stories in the collection:

The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers - a story of insane jealousy (one of the darkest here).

The Entertaining Episode of the Article in Question - Lord Peter Wimsey accidentally overhears something that helps him catch a famous jewelry thief.

The Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager’s Will Wimsey's sister Mary has a friend who needs help finding a hidden will.

The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag One motorist chases another to give him a bag that the first one dropped. Both of them are followed by Lord Peter Wimsey. What's in the bag makes this story both disturbing and entertaining.

The Unprincipled Affair of the Practical Joker a story of blackmail and greed.

The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention Lord Wimsey is visiting the countryside. One would think nothing exciting happens around there, but one would be very wrong. There's a funeral and people are talking about horses with no heads.

The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps that Ran starts as one thing and turns into a murder investigation.

The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste starts with a man who is aware he is being pursued by Lord Peter Wimsey. He ends up drinking wine with two Peter Wimseys and a count.

The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head Wimsey's nephew is staying with him. The boy starts his own book collection. The problem is, the book he has bought seems to be more than either he or his uncle expected.

The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach Wimsey's friend inherited his uncle's stomach (yes, I typed that). It's not really a mystery since it soon becomes clear what's going on, but it is still fun to read.

The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No Face The decision Lord Peter Wimsey makes in the end of this story might surprise you. A body was found on the beach; the face is so destroyed that it takes a while to find out who the victim was. Every single thing you find out about him makes you understand why someone would want him dead.

The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba starts with a bang. You are told Lord Peter Wimsey is dead.

There are also two additions to the third story: Notes to the Solution and The Solution.

Now when I read these titles I realise just how much I liked this collection. The stories have great twists and Wimsey is always there. The hints to the solutions are subtle in most cases, but even when they are not, he is there to make everything more entertaining. Next, some stories are hilarious and some are darker than you might expect. Even Wimsey's behaviour and decisions may surprise you at times.

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Clever collection of short mysteries starring Wimsey. Some whiplash, jumping around in time, but a lot of very interesting brain pleasing stories. One particularly hilarious auction day, where Lord Peter behaves badly had me laughing loudly, although a typo in Hypnotermachia had me wincing. Wincing also at the racial slurs that rise up from nowhere in Sayers' work, and are a mirror of her time.

[patsymurray · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoyed seeing Lord Peter in his various manifestations, the stories are not well-plotted and often are downright silly. The last story is perhaps one of the best and I was amused by this line: "I've got the great big top Moriarty of the whole bunch quietly asphyxiating at home."

[ashleytylerjohn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favourite titles, but not one of my favourite books, unfortunately. It's a set of short stories, ranging from 2 to 4 stars, mostly 3.5, I'd think, but rounding down so as not to mislead re quality. I love Lord Peter, most of the time, but these stories just didn't work for me the way the novels do. In many of them he doesn't seem like himself, he seems like whatever generic pulp hero is required for making the plot work out--the final story is especially frustrating and wildly unbelievable.

If you go your whole life only reading the novels, and then check this out for completeness' sake (as I've done), that's about right. Don't start here! Start with Strong Poison and then read forward from there, dipping back into Unnatural Death if you want a taste of a pre-Poison book (it's one of my favourites, owing to so much Miss Climson).

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).

[eurohackie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read all of Dorothy Sayers's short stories last year (2019) and thus my introduction to Lord Peter was in this format. This collection of twelve was a very pleasant re-read and way to immerse myself in the Wimsey world again.The stories themselves are a bit of a mixed bag, but in an interesting way. My favorites are definitely "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head," featuring Lord Peter's nephew Picked Gherkins (I find Uncle Peter to be especially adorable, LOL), and "The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba," the final story in this collection which would've made for a helluva standalone story! Talk about playing the longest of long con games!

[quondame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While clever and well written, these mysteries have less of what I like about the Lord Peter Wimsey books and more of the gimmicky bits I can do without.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

2020 reread:This collection of 12 short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey does a good job of showing the reader different facets of Wimsey's character and interests. Each story is a bit different - some showing his ability to make detailed observations, some his deductive powers and others involve more intuition or his knowledge of other subjects (particularly rare books & fine wines).

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of 12 short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey was new to me. When I read most of the Wimsey books in my late teens, I didn’t care for short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. Sayers’ writing sparkles with vivid descriptions of scenery and Wimsey’s wit and vocabulary. The stories showcased various aspects of Wimsey’s character. I loved “The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head,” in which Wimsey has the care of his 10-year-old nephew when his school unexpectedly closes due to an outbreak of measles. I was sorry that the collection ended on a sour note with “The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba,” which strained credulity too far.One passage in “The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps that Ran” caught my eye:That’s it. My right-hand man, Bunter; couldn’t do a thing without him. The picture’s latent till you put the developer on. Same with the brain. No mystery. Little grey books all my respected grandmother! Little grey matter’s all you want to remember things with...It immediately brought to mind Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and his “little grey cells.” It left me wondering if Christie influenced Sayers, Sayers influenced Christie, or if both were influenced by the pop psychology of their day.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While short story collections always contain some a mix of enjoyable and less enjoyable stories, I found most of these Lord Peter stories entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the one with the crossword puzzle. I tended to like the ones where Bunter played a bigger role better. I read one or two stories daily when I began reading the collection, and they provided a nice diversion from the current epidemic raging throughout the world.

[alanteder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Best of the Wimsey ShortsReview of the Hodder & Stoughton paperback edition (2017) of the 1928 original Too much modern crime fiction dwells in degradation and pain. Sayers acknowledges tragedy but has grander schemes in mind - to entertain and enlighten with suspense, subtlety and a sense of humour. - from the Introduction by Christopher Fowler.I actually read all of these 12 stories earlier this year in [book:Lord Peter Wimsey: The Complete Short Stories|36661909] (2018) which also collects all of the Wimsey shorts from Hangman's Holiday (Wimsey #9) (1933 - only 4 Wimsey stories), In the Teeth of the Evidence (Wimsey #14) (1939 - only 2 Wimsey stories) and Striding Folly (Wimsey #15) (1939/1973 - only 3 Wimsey stories). That collection ends on a sliding down note though as the later stories see a domesticated Wimsey handling mundane issues such as squabbling neighbours.In contrast, Lord Peter Views the Body portrays a wide range of stories with a dynamic younger Wimsey solving crimes from the macabre opening of The Abominable History of the Man With Copper Fingers through to his proto-James Bond in The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba. That closing story has Wimsey single-handedly defeating a proto-SPECTRE gang led by a cold villainous proto-Ernst Stavro Blofeld-like Number One character. Each story features unique solving methods which include everything from vintage wines, playing cards, treasure maps, crossword puzzles and site-removed deductions. Lord Peter Views the Body was a delightful re-read that had none of the downsides of the longer anthology.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my absolute all time favorite mysteries, even my all time favorite books. A few of the stories are on the grim side, notably the Cat in the Bag, the Footsteps that Ran, and the Man with No Face, but many have no violence at al, and some are wildly funny. My supreme favorite is The Bone of Contention, not just for its ingenious plot, but also for Peter Wimsey's admirably fair-minded approach to the supernatural, refusing to rule it out a priori, yet still eliminating it as an explanation on good evidential grounds. The Stolen Stomach and Uncle Meleager's Will are also very good fun; all three stories are based on odd wills. as is the Dragon's Head, with a nice icunabular touch. The Article in Question is funny and even slightly risqué as befits a tale starting in France; the Matter of Taste is also French, but a remarkable contest in wine tasting with what is (at first reading) a clever twist ending. The Cave of Ali Baba is more a "thriller' than a mystery in the straight sense, but I always enjoyed it, especially for the villain and his faithful lady friend.

[smiler69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book contains twelve short stories starring Lord Peter Wimsey, the debonair aristocratic mastermind who likes to amuse himself by solving strange cases. For those who have read and enjoyed other books in this series, I can guarantee this collection of stories delivers more adventures in the witty and original DLS style. Most of the adventures are truly bizarre in character and compulsively readable. I was going to take my time reading this one, bit by bit, but ending up devouring the book in no time flat. For those who haven't yet had the pleasure of discovering this author or this particular series, this is as good a place as any to start for a taste of what her full-length novels are like. The titles of the stories make for good reading in themselves:The Abominable History of the Man with Copper FingersThe Entertaining Episode of the Article in QuestionThe Fascinating Problem of Uncle Meleager's WillThe Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the BagThe Unprincipled Affair of the Practical JokerThe Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of ContentionThe Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That RanThe Bibulous Business of a Matter of TasteThe Learned Adventure of the Dragon's HeadThe Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen StomachThe Unsolved Puzzle of the Man with No FaceThe Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ian Carmichael really is the perfect voice for Lord Peter Wimsey -- and the perfect voice to read out Sayers' stories. This is an unabridged reading of the stories from the Lord Peter Views The Body collection, rather than one of the BBC radioplays. It's quite a lot of fun, though I remembered the stories and got a little impatient to get to the end. I think I prefer dramatisations, even if they're abridged, even if Ian Carmichael was the perfect narrator.

[tomdonaghey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lord Peter Views The Body (1928) (Lord Wimsey #4) by Dorthy L. Sayers. Here is a dozen stories highlighting Lord Peter Wimsey’s rather unorthodox life. While most of his class put the “idle” in “Idle Rich”, he is using his particular intellect and sheer nosiness to delve into mysteries all around.While there is a rather unusual murder to open the collection, it is the exception within this collection. There are imposters to unmask, a cabal of evil-doers he must expose, a murder weapon to discover in the least likely of places and even a crossword puzzle to solve. The latter leads to a fortune so well with the effort.Each puzzle ranges from a “that’s clever” to a head scratching that might leave you bald. Every story showcases Dorthy Sayers intellect and humor.

[themulhern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Arthur Conan Doyle invented the device of the short story with recurring characters Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and so forth and he did it very well. Sayers also does it well with her already established characters Lord Peter, Bunter, and Parker. The last story, in which Lord Peter goes undercover for two years to expose an organized crime syndicate is utterly ridiculous, but it is possible that Sayers knew that when she wrote it and did it for kicks. Other stories, like the one about the stomach, are entertaining for their Scottishness. Her description of the motorcycles on the Old North Road is exhilarating and segues nicely into the revelation of the crime. In general, she sets the scene for each adventure or mystery richly, and finishes each story briskly and cleverly. Generally speaking, the solutions are obvious to the reader before they are revealed; sometimes there is no mystery at all. This affects my enjoyment of them not at all.

[vivl_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightful, clever, funny and intriguing, with never a dull moment (albeit with some decidedly unlikely occurrences from time to time!) Lord Peter is up the top of my list of all time favourite fictional characters (a bit of a crush, actually) and I highly enjoyed the fleshing out of his personality.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think I like Wimsey best in small doses. Sayers is great at crafting clever little puzzles that require some poking to unravel, and the short story is a great medium for displaying them without getting too wound up in red herrings.

[mstrust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of short stories about the aristocratic amateur sleuth. He does everything from working a crossword puzzle that is key to a will to finding the culprits responsible for a missing corpse that alters an inheritance to figuring out why an old man left his entire digestive tract to his nephew instead of land or money. Come to think of it, many of these mysteries involve a will.This was my first Lord Peter Wimsey and my first Dorothy Sayers. She seems at first like she will occupy the same territory as Agatha Christie with the upper-classes fighting over their inheritance, but Sayers gets a little more ghoulish in her murders.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of short stories, Lord Peter Views the Body gives us insight into the character and abilities of Dorothy Sayers delightful detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. I found the stories entertaining and educational in regards to this “Between the Wars” time period. Each of the stories has a unique title such as “The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach” or “The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention” which served to draw the reader in. As with most short story collections some are stronger than others. Each reader will have his own favourites, I personally loved “The Learned Adventure of the Dragon’s Head” with it’s antique book-collecting, treasure hunt and the glimpse we get of Lord Peter as the family man. From the dark and gruesome tale of “The Abominable History of the Man With the Coppered Fingers” to the more light-hearted “The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste” there is truly something for everyone in this collection.Although I do prefer a full length novel, spending time with this man-about-town was a pleasure, and learning of his mauve pajamas and pink silk dressing gown, just makes me like him more. This interesting assortment of twelve stories illustrates Dorothy Sayers writing ability, and why she is one of the foremost authors from the Golden Age of British Crime Fiction.

[figgles_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Doing a bit of renovating so needed some nice light reading. Love these stories, humour and horror and a great deal of fun...

[tadad_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of short stories about Peter.

[seoulful · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A book of short stories by one of the masters of English mysteries, Dorothy Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey applies his excellent mind to solving 12 unusual happenings. The one involving his 10 year old nephew, Lord St. George, stands out with a wonderful interplay between nephew and uncle and Bunter.